Device For Receiving Of Disposable Items For An Operating Room

Abstract

A system for receiving of disposable items in an operating room, where the objects that are to be disposed of and which are equipped with a data carrier are automatically acquired and electronically registered in databases. The data carrier on the objects can be RFID tags or a barcode. The data read out are used in particular to individually recognize the type, quantity, and value of an object and to be able to document and display the type, quantity, and value of an object by using an electronic inventory and value determination process.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]The present application claims priority of German patent application No. 10 2009 037 315.2 filed on Aug. 14, 2009, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates to a device for receiving of disposable items.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Disposal items include, in particular, surgical instruments, expendable medical items, and sterile packagings, that is, containers in which a sterile material remains until its immediate use.[0004]A device for receiving of disposable items for an operating room is disclosed in patent DE-OS 2146823.[0005]Surgical instruments and sterile materials such as swabs and surgical cloths required in operations, after use, are deposited directly into such a disposal container or are placed in other receptacles such as sieve baskets. For medical documentation it is then customary to document the used articles in an OR documentation list. This tas...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0047]Inserted refuse can be weighed, for instance, by a weighing platform that is positioned below the container and/or compartment and is equipped with a weight recorder/sensor to detect changes in weight. This configuration can be especially advantageously used when the refuse exceeds a drop height after it is inserted into the interior space of the container and/or compartment. In another advantageous embodiment, the weighing platform is constructed so that it comprises several force transducers corresponding to the number of compartments, each being positioned under one compartment. This has the advantage that the change in a compartment's weight can be individually measured and displayed, especially when an object is directed to this compartment.

[0048]Another preferred embodiment provides that the container and/or compartment has at least one distance sensor available for detecting volume. It is particularly advantageous if the distance sensor is positioned immediately below the predetermined filler height of the container and/or compartment, so that the filler height of the container and/or of a compartment is measurable with its help automatically and continuously, and also any overfilling of the container and/or compartment is reliably prevented. In addition, identified objects can be verified against stored object profiles by weighing them. This permits a clear increase in security.

[0049]Even without weighing or determining volume, information on the weight or volume of the identified objects can be determined by object profiles stored in the database and from that the filler status of the container is determined. Thus it is possible to reliably document which objects are present in the container, particularly a filled container,

Problems solved by technology

It is very laborious and time-consuming, and therefore requires highly specialized nursing staff who are familiar with the indivi

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